“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened”
― Lao Tzu
Great insight into who you are today can be gained from looking at who you used to be. Your present is the result of your past, just as your future is determined by the beliefs, thoughts, and actions that are made today.
It’s important to avoid living in the past, but you can still use the past to your advantage.
Consider the following to better understand how your past has influenced the person you’ve become:
- What was your childhood like? How did your parents treat you? What was your experience like at school? Did you have a lot of friends? Did you go to church? How did you use playtime?
- Think about the best and worst experiences. How have they influenced your life? Did you have a bad experience in gym class that turned you off of sports? Were you bullied? Were you inspired to become a scientist after placing first in that science fair?
- Gently now, consider some of the times in your life when you weren’t successful. What happened? What went wrong? Could a better decision have been made? Could you have hung in there, kept going a little longer than you did? Did you act without thinking or without enough information?
- Examining a failure is an excellent way to prevent it from reoccurring. Mistakes are a part of life, but they don’t have to be the same ones that you’ve already lived through! Examine your mistakes and you can avoid them in the future.
- What are a few things in your life right now that you’d like to change? Is it a job, a home, finances, or perhaps a physical or a health circumstance? Look at your present circumstances and then look to the past and find the roots of your behaviors and beliefs that led to your current situation. What happened in the past that resulted in these realities today?
- For example, maybe you don’t save money because your parents never saved money. Now that you know why, show yourself how these circumstances don’t apply any more. Give yourself permission to make the change you desire.
A few small changes today can lead to big improvements in the future!
- Consider your relationships. Why did you choose your spouse? Your friends? How have your childhood and past relationships affected your current relationships? Have they been affected positively or negatively?
- Even if you can’t change the other person in the relationship you can decide what your response will be. Realizing how the past has conditioned your responses and deliberately deciding to change it can make for happier, healthier relationships in every category of life.
Once you evaluate the past, choose to let go of things that are holding you back.
Striking out at the league championship in fourth grade is not a good reason to shy away from the spotlight. Let go of negative things from the past that are poisoning your present and your future.
Each day is a new day.
Your past has shaped the person which you’ve become. While it’s not wise to live in the past, it is smart to examine it in order to gain a better understanding of your present and the person you’ve become.
Use your past to your advantage and then let it go.
Are you searching for your dream…your purpose? Looking to find more freedom, love, balance, a second calling, or lead a more inspired, deeper and heart-centered existence?
With Stella Frances life coaching you can find your happy!
